Graveyard Shift in Ghost Town Cutting Room Floor 3

Yes, good stuff gets left out of any final version of a novel – and for many good reasons. Still, that’s no reason they can’t see the light of day, right?

But do you know how hard it is to ignore ghosts, when you’re supposed to be a dedicated and conscientious ghost hunter? Correct answer is, “very hard” but with the avalanche of ghosts right now, that’s what Rani and I had to do. On our way to jobs, we saw ghosts everywhere. They spilled out of old buildings, blundered around alleys and lanes, wandered across busy streets, and basically made nuisances of themselves. And they weren’t solo manifestations, either. Pairs, trios, bunches of them skulking around together. Mobs and packs of a dozen or more. Crowds, even, drifting around, doing their ghosty thing, enjoying—if that’s the right word—their spooky existence.

It was as if someone had stuck up a sign saying “Worldwide Ghost Convention Here!” and then forgot to arrange any accommodation. It was really lucky that politicians couldn’t see them otherwise they’d be frothing at the mouth about roaming gangs of ghosts up to no good and using this to justify some sort of law and order crackdown.

Graveyard Shift in Ghost Town is coming in July, from Allen and Unwin. Pre-order now!